THIS INVENTION relates to an educational device and method which can be used to visually represent word sounds and/or numerical values.
When people are learning to read and write, it is necessary for them to be able to relate the letters from which a word is spelt to the pronunciation of the word. When attempting to spell or to pronounce a new word, a student typically breaks the word into the different syllables and phenomes from which the word is made.
Visual representation of the component sounds of a word has been used to assist in literacy teaching. Examples of these are cards representing different syllables. A number of cards can be used to construct a word. However, large numbers of cards are required. Should one or more key cards representing common sounds be lost, the card set is rendered virtually useless.
Visual representation has also been used as an aid to teaching numeracy. An example of a known device for teaching numeracy are number boards in which numbers from 1 to 100 are represented in a 10xc3x9710 array.
A difficulty with the earlier methods and devices for visual display is that they tend to be complicated and difficult to use. In many cases, they are designed for use only by an instructor and are unsuitable for xe2x80x9chands onxe2x80x9d use. Often, it is difficult to hold a student""s attention, and in particular, that of a young child, with such devices.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an educational method and device which may at least partially overcome the above disadvantages or provide the public with a useful choice.
According to a first broad form of the invention, there is provided an educational device for visually modeling words or numerals, the device including a plurality of display zones and a plurality of icons, each icon being moveable between a non display position and a display zone, whereby when the device is used to represent a word, the number of display zones having an icon therein corresponds to the number of phonemes in the word and the number of icons in a respective display zone represents the number of letters in a respective phoneme and when the device visually represents a number, each display zone having an icon therein represents a unit from which the number is formed, and the number of icons in a respective display zone can represent the relative size of a respective unit.
The device of the present invention includes a plurality of display zones. The number of display zones is not critical and may be selected according to, for example, the complexity of the words to be taught. As the device includes a display zone for each phenome, a device having a large number of display zones can be used to represent complex words or phrases. A device of this type can be used for more advanced students. Beginning readers which may be learning only simple words may use a device having a smaller number of display zones.
Typically, a display zone can display from zero to 10 icons. Generally, only those zones displaying an icon represent a phoneme. In this way a device having for example, ten display zones can be used to represent words of between 1 and 10 phonemes. Alternatively, the device can represent two or more words in which the display zones having zero icons can represent the spacing between words.
The icons are moveable between a display zone and a non display position. Typically the icons are three dimensional bodies which can be manually moved between positions. Typically the icons are of a size and shape which are attractive to children. Typically, the display zone is formed from a vertical rod, upon which icons may be slidably mounted. In this way, the icons can slide along the rod between the display and non display positions. In one form of the invention, the device may include a series of spikes upon which the icons can be inserted and removed.
In a preferred form of the invention, each display zone has a storage zone associated therewith such that icons may readily be transferred between the display and storage zones. An example of such an arrangement is where the display zone includes an inverted U shaped rod having a dividing partition located between the two arms of the rod. The storage position may be on the reverse side of the dividing partition.
Some words may also include silent letters and/or punctuation marks. In a preferred form of the invention, the device further includes a second set of display zones which can be used to visually represent the silent features of a word. Typically, the device includes the phenome display zones in an alternating arrangement with the silent display zones. Icons which can represent a silent letter or a particular punctuation mark can be placed within the silent display zones as necessary.
One or more phonemes can be linked to form syllables. In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the device further includes means for visually linking those groups of phonemes which form the syllables of a word.
In a further form of the invention, the device further includes means by which the letters or numerals represented by a respective icon can be written adjacent a respective display zone. Suitably, the device may includes a writing surface mounted beneath the display zone to enable the words or numbers represented thereon to be written in conventional form. Typically, the writing surface is a blackboard or whiteboard mounted beneath the display zone. Alternatively, the letters may be in a solid form, such as magnets or felt and may be removably adhered to a corresponding surface located below the display zone.
Alternatively, the device may be represented on a video display and the icons can be manipulated by electronic control.
According to a further broad form of the invention there is provided a method of modeling words, the method including breaking a word into the phonemes from which the word is formed, visually representing each phonemes as a discrete collection of at least one icon, whereby the number of icons in each collection corresponds to the number of letters in each phoneme.